Richard Sherman Goes Off Script. Internet Nearly Breaks

Cornerback Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after he tips the ball leading to an intereption to clinch the victory for the Seahawks against the San Francisco 49ers during the 2014 NFC Championship.

Reporters who’ve stood in locker rooms and press conference rooms waiting for an athlete to talk know the difficulty of having to wring out interesting copy from sources who really have no benefit in providing it. Someone like LeBron James runs the risk of starting a news cycle by providing his opinion on literally anything; “LeBron Not A Fan Of Taco Bell, Prefers McDonald’s” could easily be the conversation dominating “SportsCenter for a day. So why bother saying anything beyond the obvious platitudes, like “Both teams played hard” and “At the end of the day, it’s about making plays”?

Richard Sherman doesn’t feel this way. Arguably the league’s best cornerback, the Stanford grad has acquired a reputation for being a devout student and someone who isn’t afraid to get in his opponent’s ear. On the final, meaningful play of the Sunday’s NFC Championship game, he broke up an intended touchdown pass from San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree by tipping it to his teammate for an interception, sealing Seattle’s lead and sending them to the Super Bowl. Afterwards, he conducted an interview with Erin Andrews in which he came off… passionate, to put it lightly. This wasn’t an athlete looking to shrink from his glory, but someone who wanted the world to know how he’d come up against a hated rival and succeeded in the coolest way possible. It wasn’t what Tom Brady would have done, to say the least. While his candidness was appreciated by some fans, others took to the Internet (WARNING: language) to say the stupid, stupid things that people will often take to the Internet to say; comments that had less to do with Sherman’s tact or lack thereof, and more about the color of his skin.

“When you’re a public figure, there are rules,” writes Deadspin’s Greg Howard. “Here’s one: A public personality can be black, talented, or arrogant, but he can’t be any more than two of these traits at a time. It’s why antics and soundbites from guys like Brett Favre, Johnny Football and Bryce Harper seem almost hyper-American, capable of capturing the country’s imagination, but black superstars like Sherman, Floyd Mayweather, and Cam Newton are seen as polarizing, as selfish, as glory boys, as distasteful and perhaps offensive.” He should’ve been more humble, somehow.

Fortunately, the law of averages dictates that Sherman came out ahead, especially after apologizing for taking the focus off his teammates and what they’d accomplished. He also penned a thoughtful explanation of his actions for the MMQB, in which he certainly came off like the bigger person given the tone of some of the comments thrown his his direction. “It was loud, it was in the moment, and it was just a small part of the person I am,” he wrote. “I don’t want to be a villain, because I’m not a villainous person.” With his coach in his corner and Andrews dismissing any talk that she was taken aback, the criticism abated for a moment. (Even if a wrestling legend thought he could’ve done better.) There was, instead, the realization that we have two more weeks before the Super Bowl—in which the Seahawks will go up against the Denver Broncos—which means Sherman could say something else to get the blood boiling. At least we should be so lucky, since we already know both teams will play hard.

* * *

In 2014, anything can happen at a tennis tournament. We’re a moment removed from the halcyon days of Roger Federer making every semifinal for six straight years, or Novak Djokovic going on an unkillable win streak netting him three Grand Slams within a season; instead, the line between the top tier and those right below seems more blurred than ever. Djokovic, for example, lost in the wee moments of Tuesday morning in an epic five-setter to Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka, who’d failed to eliminate the pliable Serb in two 2013 tournaments. Even Serena Williams lost, even without playing with her left hand—a true sign that upsets are a real possibility, and not just fanfiction conjured up by the bored pundit unable to come up with an interesting result.

Of course, the irony on the men’s side is that the unpredictability has built toward a more familiar chatter: Whether Federer is rejuvenated enough to pull off a surprise ride to the final. A lucky break like Djokovic losing early obviously helps, but the newly coached great still has to contend with Andy Murray in the quarterfinals, and perhaps Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. Those are the winners of the last two Grand Slam tournaments, whereas Federer failed to reach a final last year—the first time that had happened since 2002. “Tennis fans and writers want Federer to be back; they want it badly,” Steve Tignor writes for Tennis.com. “Is it possible that this desire affects their judgment?” But Federer is playing well; he ripped through Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets during their fourth round matchup, and looks like he’s made the necessary adjustments to using a different racket, as well as just being older than he was during those prodigious winning streaks. The will of fans might not be enough to get him to the precipice of another championship, but blessedly, it seems like he might be able to do that on his own.

Comments (5 of 12)

I hate the line in this article and the fact it was quoted in this article. Why introduce divisiveness! He's a dam* fine football player...who cares if he is black.

“When you’re a public figure, there are rules,” writes Deadspin’s Greg Howard. “Here’s one: A public personality can be black, talented, or arrogant, but he can’t be any more than two of these traits at a time."

Richard Sherman is a brilliant "football" player. He reminds me of a John McEnroe or young Muhammad Ali, extraordinarily smart, brash (not arrogant) and certainly NOT politically correct!

Stop with the political correctness.

6:34 pm January 21, 2014

Shermy wrote:

Sherman was only quoting Churchill (who was paraphrasing Shakespeare's Richard iii) following the Battle of Britain by replacing Hitler with Crabtree's name. Remeber, he's a Stanfurd grad.

5:05 pm January 21, 2014

Where are the Raiders of old wrote:

It's a shame Sherman never had a chance to play against the Oakland Raiders of old. Sherman's fanny grab of Crabtree was weak; a limp-wristed affair. They didn't trash talk. They just crippled people for life. Sherman's a joke compared to them. But then they were capable of more self-control than he is.

4:39 pm January 21, 2014

Diamondback wrote:

I'm going to have a t-shirt made that says…….."Don't You Evaaa Talk About Me "!

4:39 pm January 21, 2014

bowman wrote:

Erin Andrews is as much to blame for this as Sherman. He has a history of self-centered rants boasting of his alleged superiority. Andrews, probably following her boss's orders, sought out Sherman for the interview. She didn't control the interview, and she got what the television network should've expected. It's all about the Super Bowl hype and this the first of much b.s. to come.

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